HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Jan. 27, 1999) - Mike Wallace left the Miami-Dade
Homestead Motorsports Complex with a big smile Tuesday after completing a
two-day Ford test in preparation for the March 20 Florida Dodge Dealers
400, the opening event of the 1999 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.
"I think this is the perfect match," said Wallace, new driver for
the Team ASE Ford F-150. "Right now, I don't see anything but good things
for myself and the whole team as a group. It should be a plus for Mike
Wallace. This is one of the best programs I've been involved in throughout
my career, full-time. I'm looking forward to it. "
The middle brother of the famed Wallace family, the 39-year-old
St. Louis driver won NASCAR's Mid-America Region championship of the
Winston Racing Series in 1990. He's spent the Nineties dividing his time
among NASCAR's top three divisions and ARCA. He won three times in NASCAR
Busch Series competition in 1994, recorded six ARCA superspeedway
victories, and has won more than $1 million in NASCAR Winston Cup
competition. Now, Wallace is relishing the opportunity to run for a major
championship.
"I feel we have a very, very solid chance to dethrone those guys
(Ron Hornaday and Jack Sprague, who have won the last three NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series titles). "There's a lot of other good teams,
through, but our focus this year is winning the championship. We want to
win races, but the championship is the bigger picture.
"Homestead is a really neat racetrack. I like the facility, and
since they changed the configuration it's a much better racetrack. It's a
great place to come to."

Tim Steele completes first test with new team
Three-time ARCA champion Tim Steele has a car that he's confident
could win the Daytona ARCA 200 on Feb. 7. But the car will stay parked in
his Grand Rapids, Mich., garage next month. Steele is solidly focused on
running the full NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, beginning with the March
20 Florida Dodge Dealers 400. "I'm wishing it was December, not January,
being that we got off to a late start," explained Steele. "It's going to
be a little bit of a struggle at first, but I think come race time we'll
get things turned around. Considering we didn't have truck one until two
weeks ago, we're just lucky to be here."
Steele has 34 victories in his ARCA career, including a
series-leading 20 on superspeedways. His No. 61 Ford F-150 will be
sponsored by H-S Die - his father's tool and die shop - until he can find
a major sponsor. "Running the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is all we're
doing this year. I've got a killer car to run Daytona with, but that will
take away too much time from this program. We're putting all our ducks in
a row and concentrating on the truck deal so we can have a successful year
doing this."
The Florida Dodge Dealers 400 joins the CART FedEx Championship
Series in the Speedway's season-opening March 19-21 weekend. Sunday's
event schedule features the Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Presented by
Toyota, plus the PPG-Dayton Indy Lights Series. For ticket orders, call
(305) 230-7223. For additional information, visit the Speedway's official
website, www.racemiami.com. Media contact: J.J. O'Malley (305) 230-5249